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Monday, September 30, 2013

Back at Monday again, huh? I'm afraid the weekend consisted mostly of adventuring with the family and having other family over to chat and whatnot. Sure, I did some tatting, but nothing new to share. I thought about it on Friday, but I just couldn't settle on an idea. I asked the Internet for some and came to a sad realization. I've made, at one point or another, all the things they requested and they didn't know that those things were in fact sitting in the shop already. There seems to be a large disconnect between what people want to see me make and what they would actually like to own. Oh, well. I guess it's up to me to rely on my own imagination.

I did take a few pictures over the weekend. The camera on the new phone is orders better than the last one. I should really test it with some colored thread though. That was where the last phone camera was the weakest. Anyway here's the fake pumpkin I attempted to carve last week. The drill got away from me a few times and it wasn't until the last few bits that I really got a handle on the right amount of control and the angle and whatnot. I plan on touching up some of the worst spots with paint and sanding some others before this goes on display, but now I don't have to carve a "real" pumpkin if I don't want to.

This is Shade, our oldest cat. He has drool issues, but the new camera made him look so very regal that I had to share the photo.

I've got yet another eye appointment today, hopefully it's the last before I can pick up new contacts. In between that and the morning schooling I think I really will work on either something new for the shop or something old that hasn't been remade in a while. Or I could just end up tatting spiders. October does start tomorrow and I do like to give those little things away in orders. I guess we'll just have to see where the wind blows me.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Yes, I did spend a little too much time playing with the new phone. I swear I waiting until after schooling to do it. Then the children went of with Grandma for the afternoon and I wondered what to do with my time.
I thought on working on something new, but decided to instead work on something that I haven't remade is probably a year. I loved this mask, but since I stiffen it, there is an extra step involved in its creation. Apparently that was all I needed to put off remaking it until I couldn't even remember how to do it.

So I pulled up all the pictures I had on hand and tried to work out the pattern again. Yes, I am aware none of this would happen if I would just write down the damn patterns when I create them. You know that's not happening anytime soon, so why bring it up.

There were a couple of false starts, but they it all came back to me and I whipped though the piece. It does help when the kids are out and there's nothing too interesting on the television to distract me.

It should be all dry from the stiffening stuff this morning, but I did list it last night. I really didn't think it would sell overnight and it didn't. I might dig though my sold pieces and see if there is anything else I can get remade that I've been putting off. I've been getting lots of questions and wholesale inquires yesterday, but since I don't do wholesale and the small discount I can offer a bulk sale is apparently not so appealing, none of them has led to sales. Somehow it's hard for folks to grasps that making more of something individually handmade doesn't make it easier or faster to create, so why would I want to do more work and make half per piece so someone else can make some money on it, especially if they just sell online, potentially creating competition for myself. Oh well, at least I get nice compliments when they ask.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

You'll be relieved to know that I did not clean at all yesterday, save for a load of laundry, but nothing stops laundry. Like usual the morning was mostly schooling. Once that was done I busied myself carving a sugar skull face into a faux black pumpkin with my Dremel tool. I'm sure I will eventually get a picture of the result to show you, but it was my first try and it was less than completely successful. While I understand that one is not suppose to be perfect at everything the first go round, the perfectionist gene is strong in me and it's hard to share when it isn't quite right.

After that I busied myself with a little tatted doodling. I've always loved the curly-q tatting that is sewn to netting, so I tried to make some up myself. Of course I have no netting, so I'm not certain what if anything will become of this, but at least it was tatting and I took a picture of it, so I'm calling it a win.

There were so sales in the shop and I didn't have any more bright ideas over the course of the day like I hoped. This was partly because I was staked out near the front door waiting for the UPS man to bring me our new phones. They have a nasty habit of not knocking and they needed to be signed for, so I hovered until they arrived. The rest of the evening was setting up new phone, having issues getting it activated, calling to get it activated and waiting forever on the line because apparently everyone else and their dog was doing the same thing. Customer service was however a complete pleasure to work with. It's just yet another reason it took 3 years before we finally upgraded.

Today I imagine I'll be playing with the new phone more than I should, but I'll still be hoping for some new sales to keep me tatting. Maybe I'll come up with something to use the curly-q for. I'm just worried about the stability of the curls. Oh, I'll figured something out and hopefully it will be a great day for everyone.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Apparently it was still not possible to go a whole day without cleaning something. This time it was just a few odds and ends though. Walls, it was walls I cleaned. You see our house was painted with flat white paint because apparently it's the cheapest. Personally, I think it's a creation of evil as it picks up all dirt and refuses to give it back unless you want to take the paint with it too. A gentle hand, a magic eraser, and I was able to take the edge off of a couple of rooms though. One day we'll repaint this place...not anytime soon of course, but one day.

We've been spending more time schooling lately so I generally only have time for tatting well after lunch. I did get one necklace remade though that still leaves another in queue. I just kept getting distracted by other things. I can't even seem to list what they were at this point, but they were very distracting yesterday. I think it might be the change in weather messing with my concentration. It's finally started to really cool down at least at night and I'm so looking forward to the cozy days ahead. Not the bitter cold ones after those though. I could definitely do without those, but cool and cozy I'm ready for. It's like I feel as though I need to get ready by cleaning or something because soon the light will be gone.

Well here's hoping I at least take a picture of something interesting for tomorrow's post. Heck, while I'm hoping, lets' go for many sales, lot's of new ideas and maybe today I can avoid any major cleaning. It could happen, you don't know, the world is full of surprises.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Leave it to a Monday to treat me this way. The cleaning mood that afflicted me over the weekend had not yet abated, so I spent my morning after schooling, cleaning floors. I lugged out the carpet cleaner and took care of the floor in the guest room before the holidays turn it back into a guest room from the storage/treadmill room that it is now. Then it was the living room rug whose dirt content was honestly disturbing.

I couldn't just sit down after that either, there was laundry and random other tasks that kept me running about. Then after lunch I had paperwork to gather to send in to the kids' teachers and I managed to again keep busy with that and finally answering weekend emails until my eye appointment. It was the fastest appointment ever because they had only one trial contact in...not two. Of course this means at least two more trips until I get my new pack of contacts. I know, fun, right?

Once I was home, I did sit down and finish remaking a sold necklace. I was feeling pretty good about all the things I had accomplished in the day. Then I starting making dinner and my vision went wonky. It took me a minute or two to remember that migraine with aura I had about a year ago and realize that this was that aura nonsense again. I warned the family that I could no longer see right and that I was about to go down soon and the oldest child helped me cook dinner. I spent the rest of the evening pretty much incapacitated in a dark room with an ice pack. To all of you out there that experience these things on a regular basis, you have my sincerest sympathies. That was only my second one and I'm feeling fine this morning so hopefully it will be another year before I get to have that joy again.

There are still a couple of pieces in queue to be remade and I have no other plans today. Here's hoping for a nice, uneventful, cleaning and headache free Tuesday with plenty of relaxing tatting.

Monday, September 23, 2013

I had quite hoped to get distracted by adventuring over the weekend. Instead I let myself fall into one of those rare and frightening 'cleaning' moods. They rarely strike, but when they do, I just keep finding things around the house that need doing. It all started because I had been avoiding some yard work due to heat. Once I tackled that on a very cool Saturday morning, I had to keep going. There was vacuuming, generally tidying and on Sunday I tackled the bathrooms including the floors, which I never do and even attempted some wall cleaning. Flat paint was made by the devil, by the way. I am crazy sore this morning, but I still want to clean more things. The urge will pass soon, I hope.

I did get a couple of orders over the weekend, so there was tatting, just not an awful lot of it. Instead I found other creative things to do when I had a spare moment. I was actually a little afraid to sit down for fear the soreness would settle in my muscles and I wouldn't get back up.

I made necklaces with the beads the kids got at the Ren Faire last weekend. We made the Lowe's project that we skipped when we went to said Ren Faire. Then there was a trip to the, already on sale, Halloween section at Michael's where I picked up some paper mache skulls that I painted white. They'll eventually become sugar skulls, I imagine. I know there was more and don't get me started on the list of emails I need to return today. Here's to a nice low key Monday so I can ease back into normality.

Friday, September 20, 2013

We had a fairly nice day around here. Schooling was wrapped up pretty quickly so we could go to our field trip to the Fire Station. It was a much better time than you might think. Fire safety with a nice bit of humor followed by a tour that ended with the kids getting to use the water hose. By the time we were finished it was noon and after that I actually got a bracelet remade that I had forgotten about. I am apparently still stalling on the necklace I should make.

I decided after that that I needed to make the brown and brass version of the newest necklace. I kept saying I was going to and I kept not ding it. I think it looks much better with the beads as well. I haven't gotten this one up in the listing yet, but I should get round to that some time today.

I also worked on the spiderweb some more. There are only, maybe three rounds left, but at this diameter three rounds is really long. I figured since I hadn't shown a picture of this in a while, I'd add that to the post today as well.

I did get a small sale yesterday, but it was for kitty ears and I have several pairs of those already made up, so that didn't give me anything new to do. Hopefully over the weekend I'll manage to finish the spiderweb and come up with something new and interesting for the shop. Of course it's more likely that I'll get distracted by adventuring and have little to share on Monday, but what can you do. At least my hands are busy.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

It was another long, only slightly productive day. Schooling took a large portion of the day and then I had errands that needed running. I did manage to get a couple of pairs of earrings remade and I did, in fact, list the burgundy necklace. I'm not certain that listing all the colors together is the wisest move, but it certainly is the convenient. Well except for taking new pictures of all of them together.

I also spent a good deal of yesterday updating my phone and then figuring out how to use it all over again. I think I've got it all now, but there was a moment of panic when I got a call to make an eye doctor appointment and I had yet to figure out the new calendar. Then I got anxious, or nervous, or something, for no apparent reason. It was really quite an odd day.

The day ended with crocheting the spiderweb. I'm still not finished with it as I keep getting distracted and doing other things. So I guess that brings us to today's plans. We have a field trip to the Fire Station fairly early today, so it's quick schooling before and probably more schooling after. That means I probably won't get anything of significance done at all. I do still have one more pair of earrings as well as a necklace that can be remade. I'm personally crossing my fingers for a nice big sale to get me busy in a different direction. Either way I suppose I have plenty to get done whether I get to it or not is another issue entirely.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

I ended up spending more time cross stitching yesterday than anything else and my fingers paid the price for it. I mean I have calluses from my tatting needle as well as where the thread crosses my fingers, but pushing that tiny cross stitch needle through the tough plastic of the phone case did a number on me. I, of course, managed to break one needle and stabbed myself several times, but the case is done and I went back to tatting.

I opted to not get to the burgundy necklace first, so it will get it's hardware and get listed today, barring any unforeseen circumstances. I had actually forgotten that I had a handful of earrings that needed remaking as well, so I got one pair of those done rather than work on the bigger necklace in queue. Then as evening rolled around I went back to crocheting the white spiderweb that's been sitting around waiting for me to finish it. It was like fiber craft circuit training.

So today I have a few pairs of earrings I could make and the necklace I avoided yesterday. I could also get distracted and just crochet the day away again. I guess we'll just have to see how the day progresses. And just because I forgot to take any craft based photos, here's Isis and Chi Sai, the footless using each other as pillows during our schooling time.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Mondays are always more work than they're worth. Yesterday was one of those housework kind of days. Laundry and dishes and the yearly onslaught of ant invasions has also begun. Not to mention how long the schooling day was. All it takes is one writing assignment and I can add an hour to class time. All this occupied me until lunch time and then the mail brought me the task for the rest of my day.

You see, me and the husband are finally upgrading our phones after putting money aside for the purpose all year. Instead of selling our old ones, they're being passed down as ipod touches to the kids. We pass down everything rather than get rid of it, but that means the kids need their own cases and the youngest liked the idea of a cross stitched one. The blank case arrived in the mail, she settled on a Nyan Cat design and I went to work on it. I kept working on it all day not saving any time for tatting.

Oh, right...the band-aid. I was making dinner and foolishly attempted to move my electric griddle while it was on. I reached just a bit too far under with one hand, missed the cool plastic and put my finger directly on the heating element underneath. Usually I react so slowly that my injuries are made worse, but I was on the ball with this one and took care of it straight away, while still cooking. It doesn't even hurt this morning so hopefully it won't impede tatting today. I'll probably work some more on the phone case, I have a rainbow to do and some stars. After that though I still have at least a necklace to remake for the shop and if that gets done that burgundy necklace needs to be remade as well. Lots to do, but on a Tuesday everything is just a bit calmer and more pleasant.

Monday, September 16, 2013

We had a pretty good, if exhausting weekend around here. The Northern California Renaissance Faire had it's opening day and thanks to two for one coupons and kids being free we headed there for much of Saturday. The dynamic is a little different when you're trying not to spend money in an environment designed to make you want to spend money, but we had a pretty good time anyway. We found a booth that was selling really neat beads and charms and the kids went nuts buying little skulls. We also didn't dress up this time around since the oldest child has outgrown her current outfit, but we've already got plans to fix that for next year.

I also had a pretty fine weekend in the etsy shop with a few custom orders. I made the newest necklace in burgundy on Friday, shared it on facebook and was asked to hold it for a customer. It never made it into the shop and it's heading away today and that's always an amazing feeling. All the orders kept me busy making all Sunday. All the remaking I now have to do should keep me busy today and tomorrow and maybe longer, but once I've got some time again, this necklace will get remade and make it into the shop. I think the color and the matte seed beads are just right on this one.

All the sales didn't undo the miserable first half of the month. I'm still way behind compared to last year, but I'm certainly in better spirits and I'm so very happy to be working hard again. The weather is finally starting to cool down a bit and it's almost feels like fall. I guess what I'm trying to say it that I'm feeling good this morning and I hope, wherever you are, you're having a lovely day as well.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Things picked up even a little more right after I wrote yesterday. When I came back downstairs after getting ready for the day there was another sale in the shop of several pairs of earrings. This means not only am I feeling cautiously optimistic about sales, tI also have several tatting tasks that should take me days to complete.

Even though I had an ordered mask that needed making, I took a few minutes after schooling to make sure I got the new necklaces listed. I went ahead and put them all in the same listing since I pay less for that and this lack of sales has made me a little more conscious of the money I spend on everything. Honestly, I thought one or two of them might sell pretty quick because of the way they were received over at the Facebook page, but nothing so far.

After they were listed, I worked on the sold mask for the rest of the day. I should have that finished today barring a really long school day, then it's only remaking earrings. Those usually go pretty fast so I'll likely get a couple more Quandary necklaces made up over the weekend. I was going to at least get that brown and brass one I mentioned made. I'm not sure what over combinations I'll do. I have many more thread shades than I do bead colors and to make matters worse, our local Michael's store stopped carrying seed beads so I won't get more unless I need to make a big supply order. That won't happen any time soon because I simply haven't made enough sales this month to afford to. Man, I started this post on such a high note and now I've dived back into complaining. I'm done, I swear. Everything seems to be looking up and I'm looking up with it.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Ah, the power of positive thinking. Never mind that I think the whole concept it hooey. I put my mindto the task of making something new yesterday and that, my friends, is what I did. I started with the usual places for inspiration, antique pattern books and I scoured them for some time, but I really felt like doing something truly from the ground up. So I just searched for lace images and landed on some nice crochet edgings and something sparked in the back corner of my ill used imagination and I was off.

I played with split rings, which are not really my friends. They were, however, the perfect method to get the shape I was trying to mimic in the crochet lace. Of course in the end, my piece looks nothing like the lace that inspired it. Not one little bit, but I am really happy with the piece. I started on the design right after schooling and spent the rest of the day making more of these necklaces. Look, I even used beads on the green one, which doesn't look as green as it actually is in this photo, and on the black one.

I wrapped up the day adding a purple one to the pile as well. None of them have their hardware yet. I'll get all that done today and hopefully get them listed in the shop. Well, except for the brown one since it was the prototype piece. I might make another up in brown and add some brass beads to it though. I even started playing with the central motif I created to see if there was anything else I could do with it and managed to work it in one round. I was already using split rings so it was fairly easy to do and it has some potential.

I must have finally made a real enough effort to appease the Universe as well because I woke up this morning to a mask sale. It still doesn't quite put a dent in the awfulness that has been this months sales, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. I also now have something that needs remaking and I am am feeling pretty positive this morning. Things to do, things to do.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Well, I don't think I got much of anything done yesterday. I did get the children schooled and that took much longer yesterday than usual. Some days are like that though, you just keep right on working until you realize that half the day is already gone. I suppose at least it is time well spent.

The rest of the day I just worked on the white spiderweb, but I didn't remember to stop for any photos. The day just flew by as I watched a show on netflix because my normal channel was marathoning something I don't watch. It was basically, mostly, a waste of a day. I had no motivation, no inspiration and there's yet another fire burning near enough that the air is full of smoke again so I feel a bit trapped in the house. Don't worry, it's not close enough to get us, just close enough to make the air unpleasant.

I have got to refocus my efforts again and get something interesting made. I'm going to set my mind to it now. So unless something new and interesting happens to give me something else to do, I'm going to make something new today. I have no idea what it will be, but if I don't stay positive and work, it'll be yest another waste of a day.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Nope, there was no miracle turn around of events. I did sell something in the shop, but it was patterns and patterns are so inexpensive that they can't make enough of an impact. Then there was the sale I had to turn away because it came from Italy where shipping lace is prohibited. The customer made it more painful, by trying again and again to see it there was any way around that, but it's really not worth it to try. I am the sort that gets caught and fined. I did however decide to suck it up and tat some things anyway. Sure, I'm enjoying the large crochet spiderwebs, but I'd rather be tatting.

I opted to dig through my older sold out pieces to see if there was anything hiding in there that I could remake and get re-listed. I found a bracelet to remake in burgundy and a necklace that I've remade before as a special anniversary edition. It was one of the first things I "designed". Yes, it's very simple, but it's still a nice necklace so there you have it.

I finished the necklace and got it listed again. I did start to dig again for something else, but it was getting late and I was losing momentum. I might get up to that again today and I'm sure I'll spend some time crocheting as well. I've just got to keep working and maybe today is the day things look up.

Monday, September 9, 2013

I'm afraid the weekend did not turn the world around. It just slogged along in the same direction. I know, I'm getting a bit morose, but I'm trying to keep it to a minimum. However, if I don't complain here, I complain to my husband and that just passes the stress around the house. So, without further ado, my shop is soooo slow it's technically dead. Whew, I think that did it for now. Let's all cross our fingers that things pick up before this becomes a regular, and quite frankly an annoying, thing.

I did quite a bit of crochet over the weekend. It was all on the same project mind you, but it kept my hands busy and my brain just distracted enough. I finished the black cobweb on Sunday morning and started the white one. They grow very quickly in the beginning rounds, but as the rounds get bigger, they take on a life of their own. I think it's big enough to throw over the center of the dining table or cover the whole coffee table. Yeah, I don't know what I'm doing with them, but they look neat and they're giving me something to do.

We're back to schooling today of course and I'm most likely to use my free time to crochet, unless of course the Universe was paying attention when we all crossed out fingers for things to pick up a moment ago. I guess it's also possible that I might get a creative epiphany and make something else new. It's a Monday, so which direction I head has yet to be determined and that's as close to optimism as I'm going to get.

Friday, September 6, 2013

I am going to attempt to not complain in this blog post. There are quite a few things I could go all whiny about, but you don't want to hear it. I'm just going to buck up and recap the creative things I did manage to do yesterday. First, I did get the new pendant design done and listed. I didn't get any extra colors done, mostly because every time I do that, I end up with several pieces nobody is ever going to buy. It is listed as available in every color thread I have on hand though.

I couldn't seem to get motivated to tat anymore, so I looked about for something else to make. I remembered that I had bought this cross stitch phone cover and never did anything with it. I had ordered a black one, they sent white and then wanted me to jump through 100 hoops and pay for return shipping before they would send me the right one. I got a bit...we'll go with tiffed and put it away instead. So anyway, I found it and cross stitched little skulls into it and there was my afternoon project.

It wasn't a long project, so I found myself wanting for something else to keep my hands busy and my mind distracted. I'm not sure why I decided on crocheting a spiderweb doily, but after a quick internet search I'd found and interesting enough pattern and I was off. I know I should be more focused on the shop and tatting, but...wait, I said I wasn't going to complain. I'm not even halfway through the spiderweb, so I'll at least have that to do today and probably throughout the weekend. I'm using some odd thin yarn I was gifted whose true origin and makeup I am unaware of, but it has a bit of stretch to it and it's fun to use for this. Once it's gone I'm done either way.

That was a pretty complaint free post. Yes, I feel okay about that. Here's to having a day and weekend I won't feel compelled to complain about on Monday.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Another long day of schooling and a another ghost town of a day in the shop. I really am trying to stay optimistic, but it's getting more difficult by the day. I finished
up the last of the cross stitch designs in the kit and like I said I
would, I got stir crazy. I had to make something. I started by skimming
through antique books hoping for inspiration, but it was actually a
quick glance at the front page of Etsy that gave me the source material.
I saw this antique engagement ring. It was just the bit of inspiration that I needed and I made this, not quite right yet, pendant.

It definitely wasn't right straight off. The amount of negative space was too little and the whole thing had a cramped feel. I wanted more of that classic cartouche shape so I kept on working. I tried it with beads between the elements and while some people liked it, it was a pain in the neck to make. I also think the shape was still off and I didn't feel like making yet another attempt with the fiddly beads. It was the top one in this set that I finally settled on. More negative space, the right shape and using a lock chain for the hanging loop makes it less noticeable. In the first one, it took too much focus.

The crystals for all these were sewn on, but I did make one with swarovski rounds where the beads were encapsulated, the bottom one here. It's also more fiddly to work with and my thread is generally too thick to comfortably double inside these beads, but I liked the way it looked as well. I only have these crystals in clear, but I have rounds in all sorts of shades, so I may list them both and offer a bit of customization. They are pretty small and quick to make so I might get them listed today once I have a few more color examples. Or I might slide into ennui and get nothing done. It's really too soon to tell, but at least I did something yesterday, right?

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

The only thing worse than starting yet another day without a sales in the shop is knowing that you just lost one because you won't lie on a customs form. I got a message overnight asking for a pair of ankle corsets to be shipped as a 'gift' with a value under $10. It's been a long time since someone tried this one. I mean I know why, but I'm pretty sure I'm the one that gets caught and pays the heavy fines. Then the item is confiscated, the customer wants their money back and it's just totally not worth even playing that game, so I said no.

In other news, while the etsy seller I mentioned yesterday with the copy of one of my necklaces did remove the listing, the message I received back from her was disheartening. This was part of it:

"I removed my listing but not because I made it after your design. Is this pattern(design) copyrighted? I foud it on google, I didn't know it was your "original design"."

Oh, dear. While I'm not a lawyer and I don't want to get into the copyright issue, I am sad that anyone thinks that just because you find something on Google that it's fair use for everyone for any reason. I suppose it could just be a cultural difference, I know there are a couple of countries that seem to keep popping up with this issue, but seriously EVERYTHING is on Google. How can anyone think everything posted online is free to profit from? Clearly this person found my listing image in a Google search and copied it not knowing nor caring that the design belonged to anyone. I know I can't fix people that see no issue with this, but I can write about how it's wrong and inconsiderate and hope someone reads this before they try it themselves. I let the seller know to be careful with that as I am by far, not the meanest tatter in this regard. She copies the wrong one and they'll be cease and desist letters and threats of lawyers.

In other, other news, I didn't get any tatting in yesterday either, but I did list the white collar and I did do more cross stitching. I'll get stir crazy again soon I'm sure and they'll be fresh tatting. I just can't sit on my hands and make nothing. I just have to keep my hands moving.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Well, I started the day on a bad note when I went looking through tatting listings on the etsy. Yep, another copy floating about. Now, I don't get upset when folks use the same source material, antique and vintage patterns, for their piece, but when I make something more unique and they copy it, I get touchy. So I've sent off that mean, take down your listing, note which I honestly hate sending. The seller is from overseas so there might be both a language and cultural barrier there, but we'll see how it goes.

That reminds me of something else I ran across the other day that has me a bit nervous. Remember when everyone was talking about that lady who was making embroidery machine templates to look like tatted lace. I, and many others were contacted for permission to use our patterns, which I refused. I'm pretty proud of the fact that tatted lace requires more work than pushing a button on a machine. Anyway, I just saw the first example of it pop up on etsy described as tatted lace in the form of a pair of earrings. It makes me nervous because while we can tell the difference, many people may not, particularly if the seller is not forthcoming with the truth. So we wait and see if it's an aberration or the start of something unpleasant.

So, I had all these plans yesterday and instead of accomplishing any of them, I cleaned. Yeah, that's right I vacuumed and steam mopped the floors. Did some deep cleaning on cat stains and since the sick cat hasn't soiled anything new, I properly cleaned the couch as well. I guess I labored on Labor Day...that's celebrating right.

I was going to make a mask, but I couldn't find the beads I needed, so I did a little cross stitch instead. As you might have guessed, it was another, no sales in the shop, day. You might think I'm going to use these cross stitch pieces for Halloween, but they'll likely find some cute clearance frames after the holiday and go up all year long. I've got a few more in the kit to make, so if boredom strikes again, I've something to do. I promise I will get photos of the white collar today so I can get it listed. Not that anyone is waiting for it, but it certainly can't sell if it's not listed.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Ah what a nice long weekend and it's not even over. Well, it's sort of over because a Monday is a Monday and I have Monday things to do, even if the kids have no schooling and the husband has no work. We took a lovely trip out to the coast to the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Saturday. Yes, I am aware that we do that often, but we love it out there. There's the cool weather, the Ocean and of course the aquarium itself. We visited because it was the last weekend of the seahorse exhibit and well, we really didn't need and excuse, but that was the one we chose.

Sunday was mostly recovering from the day of walking. It was more crowded than usual and that always makes the trip more stressful than we like it. I did manage to finish the white, embellished collar while we watched Lawrence Of Arabia for the first time in the afternoon. I didn't press it nor get proper photos...it's a really long movie with an inordinate amount of walking though the desert. It was dinner time by the time we were finished and there was no sun after that.

Today, despite the vacationing family, I shall get it photographed and listed. I still have yet to sell anything that needs remaking. In fact it's been well over a week since I sold anything I needed to make at all. It wasn't too bothersome as I had these collars to work on, but now that they're done, I sure hope the sales come back. I think I might be out of ideas for a while, or who knows, they do come around when I least expect them. Mostly I just need to really start making some money around here again, I have bills to pay. Here's hoping for a great day, week and month, starting now.